A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 828 Only Two Stones of Millet Remain After Death

Wen Daya is dead.

He died on New Year's Eve. This Minister of Rites and Duke of Li coughed all night, and just as the New Year was about to begin, he couldn't catch his breath and died.

The Wen family did not hold a funeral immediately; they waited until after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

His eldest son, Wen Wuyin, presented his father's last will and testament.

In addition, there are Wen Daya's "Daily Record of the Founding of the Tang Dynasty" in three volumes, "Record of the Current Emperor's Achievements" in six volumes, and "Record of the Officials and Attendants of the Grand Chancellor, the King of Tang" in two volumes.

In Wen Daya's last letter, he hoped that I would forgive Wen Yanbo this once.

Li Shimin shook his head as he spoke to Li Yi.

The three Wen brothers were both talented and capable. Wen Daya once served as a scholar of the Eastern Palace and a county magistrate of Chang'an during the Sui Dynasty. Due to his father's death, he resigned to observe mourning. Later, seeing the chaos in the world, he refused to serve in office again. When Li Yuan raised an army, he was hired as a secretary in the General's Office to handle important matters, and Wen Daya gladly accepted the position.

Wen Dayou, the third son of the Wen family, served as a Yulin Cavalry Captain during the Sui Dynasty. He and his elder brother, Chang Ya, joined Li Yuan and were appointed magistrates of Taiyuan County. They followed Li Shimin in attacking Hexi. Later, he was appointed as a secretary in the General's Office, sharing confidential matters with his elder brother, Chang Ya.

At the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Da Ya was appointed as the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and Da You was appointed as the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. They were both in the same court and held high positions.

However, he died of illness in the first year of the Wude era.

At that time, the second brother, Wen Yanbo, was a Sima under Luo Yi in Youzhou. In the second year of the Wude era, Luo Yi surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, and the brothers Wen Daya of Chang'an and Wen Dalin of Youzhou contributed significantly to this.

The imperial court appointed Wen Yanbo as the Prefect of Youzhou, and then summoned him to the capital to serve as a Palace Attendant. He was quickly promoted to Vice Minister of the Palace Attendant and granted the title of Duke of Xihe.

The three Wen brothers were all granted the title of Duke of the County and were all in charge of confidential matters in the central government, where they were highly valued by the emperor.

Later, Crown Prince Jiancheng and the King of Qin fought fiercely, and the Wen brothers were also drawn into the struggle.

At Li Shimin's request, Wen Daya was transferred to the position of Minister of Works of the Shaanxi East Circuit, where he served as Li Shimin's garrison commander in Luoyang, and made great contributions.

However, Wen Dalin was closer to Crown Prince Jiancheng in the court.

In Li Yi's view, the Wen brothers were essentially betting on both sides. No matter who won between the Crown Prince and the King of Qin, the Wen family would always be on the side of the victor.

After Li Shimin became emperor, he treated the Wen brothers very well. Wen Daya was in poor health and repeatedly recommended his brothers. Li Shimin then successively appointed Wen Yanbo to important positions such as the Prefect of Yongzhou and the Acting Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and later appointed him as the Vice Minister of the Chancellery.
Finally, he was appointed as the Grand Secretary and concurrently served as the Imperial Censor.

Unfortunately, Wen Yanbo was out of touch with reality and failed to keep in step with the emperor.

Now Wen Daya has left a will, hoping that the emperor will give his brother Wen Yanbo another chance.

Ultimately, Li Shimin was unwilling to keep such a person by his side.

"Wen Yanbo has indeed been wronged in his capacity as the governor of Yongzhou,"

The emperor, holding a teacup, said, "I think we should recall Zhang Daoyuan, the governor of Dingzhou, to the capital, and appoint him as the Grand Censor. What do you think of appointing Wen Yanbo as the governor of Dingzhou?"

It would certainly be inappropriate to appoint Wen Yanbo, who is not of one mind with the emperor, as prime minister or to preside over the censorate.

However, given Wen Yanbo's abilities, he should be capable of being appointed as a regional governor. Moreover, although regional governors are also high-ranking officials in charge of their respective regions, they are not in the central government and cannot participate in or influence central decision-making.

Zhang Daoyuan was Li Yi's maternal uncle, so he couldn't say much.

But Zhang's qualifications were sufficient. When Li Yuan raised his army, he was summoned and appointed as the Registrar of the Household Department of the General's Office. Then he pacified Shandong, and the Yan and Zhao regions vied to submit to him. For his merits, he was enfeoffed as the Duke of Fanyang. Later, he was appointed as the Minister of Justice, then transferred to the position of Minister of the Imperial Stud, and then served as the Governor of Xiangzhou. Last year, he was transferred to the position of Governor of Dingzhou.

These resources are more than enough to serve as an Imperial Censor, especially since Zhang Daoyuan served as an Imperial Censor during the Sui Dynasty.

"It's a pity that Wen Daya and Wen Dayou's brothers died young. If they were still alive, I would be able to employ them with peace of mind."

The emperor's words implied that those who should have lived were dead, while those who should have died were still alive.

Wen Yanbo was truly despised by him.

However, considering the achievements of the two deceased Wen brothers, especially Wen Daya's past support for him, Li Shimin still promoted Wen Yanbo from the fifth-rank position of Yongzhou Zhizhong to the third-rank position of Dingzhou Dudu.

Go far away, out of sight, out of mind.

It's a real pity that Wen Daya is only fifty-one years old.

Emperor Taizong of Tang, mindful of his loyalty and filial piety, bestowed upon him the posthumous title of "Xiao" (孝). He also granted his eldest son, Wen Wuyin, the honorary title of "Chaosan Dafu" (朝散大夫), a fifth-rank official position, to be granted a sixth-rank official post after the mourning period for his father was completed.

the next day,
The emperor summoned Zhang Daoyuan, who had not yet returned to Dingzhou, to the capital for an audience.
The messenger who went to deliver the imperial decree brought back unexpected news.

Zhang Daoyuan passed away last night.

Li Shimin was stunned in the Zhenguan Hall. Then more detailed news came: Zhang Daoyuan had died without illness. He was fine yesterday, but he was gone after sleeping.

Even more astonishingly,
Zhang Daoyuan, a high-ranking official...

Moreover, he came from a first-class prestigious family like the Zhang family of Fanyang.
As a result, after his death, he left no property whatsoever, only two bushels of millet.

"Just two bushels of millet?"

"Yes, when Zhang Gong was an official, he never accepted gifts. The rice he received from the imperial court, after deducting the remaining food for his family, was mostly used to help relatives, friends and neighbors in need."

Even regarding the slaves and land bestowed upon them by the court, he said, "People experience both good and bad fortune, which is only natural. How can one take advantage of one's own good fortune to benefit others' misfortunes, taking their children as servants and concubines? Is this close to the heart of a benevolent person?" Therefore, he released them all, provided them with money and silk for travel expenses, and sent them back to their hometowns.

Such an incorruptible nobleman,

Do not acquire property.

He even sold the gifts his nephew Li Yi gave him during festivals and used the money to buy grain and firewood to help the poor.

This kind of people,

This was a rare occurrence in the entire imperial court.

But he has always been like this.

Li Shimin sighed, “When Zhang Daoyuan was young, he was known in his hometown for his filial piety. When his father passed away at the age of fourteen, he was so grief-stricken during the mourning period that the county magistrate specially renamed his hometown Fuli Township and Zhixiao Village.”

When I grew up, I went on a trip with a friend. In the middle of the night, my friend suddenly died of illness at the inn. In order not to disturb the host and other guests, I suppressed my grief and slept next to the body until dawn. Only after everyone woke up did I burst into tears. Afterwards, I walked to escort my friend's body home.

At the end of the previous dynasty, he rose to the position of Censor, and was known for his impartiality and strictness.

But I didn't expect that either.

After his death, only two bushels of millet remained!

There were many officials in the court who claimed to be incorruptible, such as Wei Zheng, who was also relatively honest. However, Wei Zheng did not claim to have given away all his wealth and died with only two bushels of millet left. He was the governor of Dingzhou, after all.

If he wanted to, he could easily get hundreds of thousands of dollars just by asking.

He was posthumously awarded the title of Minister of Works and given the posthumous name of Jie!

“He was given three hundred bolts of silk.”

"I suspended court for three days for Zhang Qing, and conveyed my decree to Yu Shinan, the Compiler of Imperial Records, requesting him to compose an inscription for Zhang Gong's tombstone."

"Let his eldest son, Zhang Hao, inherit the title of Duke of Fanyang!"

"He bestowed upon the Eastern Garden secret weapons, twenty guards with swords, feathered canopies and drums, and all necessary provisions for the calamity, and ordered them to be generously provided."

Li Shimin treated Zhang Daoyuan with the utmost respect and honors after his death, which was partly due to his nephew Li Yi.

Li Yi heard this news while working in the government office.

All we could do was sigh and hurry off to help with the funeral arrangements.

Although he was his maternal uncle, not his biological uncle, their relationship grew closer after they met in Fenzhou, Hedong. His cousin Zhang Hao had been following him for several years and had earned a sixth-rank official position through meritorious service.

Zhang Daoyuan's career has been quite successful in recent years.

Now that he is nearly seventy years old, dying peacefully without illness is not necessarily a bad thing.

He even passed away while coming to Luochao Market, saving Zhang Hao and his brothers the trouble of traveling thousands of miles to attend his funeral and escort his coffin back to their hometown.

Li Yi was not surprised that his uncle had left no family fortune.

Everyone has their own pursuits.

For Zhang Daoyuan, perhaps his reputation was more important than virtues like filial piety, loyalty, trustworthiness, righteousness, and propriety.
The emperor bestowed upon him the family members of a convicted official as slaves, but he released them all and even gave them some travel expenses.

He used all his salary to help others, not only relatives and neighbors who came to his door, but also often took the initiative to deliver food to the orphans, widows and disabled.

There are many people who want a good name.

Wei Zheng was fond of fame, and so was Ma Zhou.

But neither of them are the kind of people who seek fame and fortune.

When Li Yi arrived at Zhang Daoyuan's residence, it was quite simple. Although this was Luoyang, not the Zhang family residence in Chang'an, the living conditions were still too shabby and did not match Zhang Daoyuan's status as a third-rank official.

The imperial court has already dispatched officials to oversee the funeral arrangements.

Yu Shinan wrote the epitaph, and Li Yi wrote it for his uncle.

He sent the steward of the Prince Wei's residence with people to help manage everything inside and outside the residence.

All expenses are covered.

It shouldn't be too extravagant, but it still needs to be grand.

Li Yi even had people spread the word about his cousin, praising his filial piety, righteousness, benevolence, and integrity.

A few days,

Almost everyone in Luoyang knew what a good official Zhang Daoyuan, the Duke of Fanyang, was.

Unfortunately, this Mr. Zhang passed away suddenly just before he was about to be transferred to the position of Imperial Censor.

People feel even more sorry for him and miss him even more.

If such an incorruptible official were to take charge of the Censorate, would corrupt officials still be able to harm the people?
He who seeks benevolence will attain benevolence.

The last gift that Li Yi's nephew gave to his uncle was to ensure that he would have a better reputation after his death.

This is both a definitive conclusion about him and...

It is also a valuable legacy he can leave to his children and grandchildren.

Zhang Daoyuan's sudden death

This disrupted the emperor's plans.

The Censorate cannot remain without a Censor-in-Chief.
Ma Zhou, the Supervising Censor, was both inexperienced and too young. Zhang Liang, the Minister of the Imperial Household and concurrently Supervising Censor, was similarly inexperienced.

"Yang Shidao, Sun Fujia, Wei Zheng, who is more suitable?"

One was the emperor's brother-in-law, and the other two were Li Yi's senior brothers.

Li Yi felt that Wei Zheng was more suitable in terms of public opinion, since he was a very outspoken person. Although he was an official in two different systems, he did similar work.

Wei Zheng was more professional.

Yang Shidao was Li Shimin's second brother-in-law. He was Zhao Cijing, the ex-husband of Princess Guiyang. Zhao Cijing died in battle at Puban. The brothers Yang Gongren and Yang Shidao surrendered to Chang'an, and Li Yuan quickly made Yang Shidao his son-in-law.

Li Yi's view of Yang Shidao was that he was a traditional, old-fashioned nobleman, well-educated and somewhat talented, who liked to hold banquets and compose poems, but his level was only average.

He was good at eating, drinking, having fun, and building relationships, but his work ability was not strong. As the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, his performance was mediocre. He was not good at understanding the situation of his subordinates, and most of the officials he appointed were incompetent, which made him the target of ridicule.

To appoint such a kind and gentle man as the Imperial Censor is truly absurd.
This person has definitely failed in their duty.

Sun Fujia was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) during both the Sui and Tang dynasties, and was also the first Zhuangyuan (top scholar) of the Tang dynasty.

Born into poverty

However, he had always been engaged in the judicial field and was quite experienced. He was then appointed as the governor of Shanzhou.

I have experience working in both central and local governments.

The Censorate is, after all, one of the three judicial departments, and he is qualified and experienced enough to serve as the Grand Censor.

However, when facing the emperor, Wei Zheng was more resilient than Sun Fujia.

"Wei Zheng is the prime minister, and the affairs of the Censorate are heavy. It needs to be managed by a dedicated person. I think it would be better to transfer Sun Fujia to the court and appoint him as the Grand Censor."

(End of this chapter)